Negotiations behind the scenes, finger-pointing in public

As legislative leaders and the governor try to negotiate a deal on pensions, the leaders of the two chambers are ramping up the blame game for the impasse.

Senate President Robert Stivers told reporters that if this seems familiar to look for the common denominator in this session and ones in the recent past.

“The leaders of the chamber have changed on this side, but they have not changed on the other side. So draw your conclusions from that,” Stivers told reporters Monday.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo responded that nothing is being “bogged down.” Instead, the legislative leaders are still trying to work out how to cover $100 million cost to the general fund of making the state’s full payment into the Kentucky Retirement System.

This kind of public posturing isn’t uncommon even as leaders meet with each other behind closed doors to work out a compromise.

About Don Weber

Don Weber joined cn|2 when it launched back in May 2010 and soon became a reporter for Pure Politics. He is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and has spent many years covering everything from politics to sports. Don says he loves meeting new people everyday as part of his job and also enjoys the fact that no two days are the same when he comes to work. Don Weber can be reached at donald.weber@charter.com.